The “climate lawsuit” against the decision to award production licenses in the 23rd licensing round appealed directly to the Supreme Court

Newsletter 3/2018

As reported in our newsletter in January, the climate activists Greepeace and Natur og Ungdom have sued the Norwegian State claiming that the decision of opening areas in the Arctic Ocean for oil and gas exploration in the 23rd licensing round, was a breach of article 112 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway. The case was tried before Oslo District Court in November 2017, and the Court ruled in favour of the State in its judgment of 4 January 2018. Our January newsletter and comment on the District Court judgment can be found in the following link:

According to a recent press release made by Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom, the two climate activists have filed an appeal directly to the Supreme Court, instead of ordinary appeal to the Court of Appeal. Such direct appeal to the Supreme Court must be approved by the Supreme Court and approval may only be given if the case raises important principle questions upon which it is important to promptly ascertain the view of the Supreme Court. The climate activists have among other things claimed that the climate threat is significant, and that it is urgent to stop the awarding of production licenses.

If the direct appeal is not granted, the case will be transmitted to the Court of Appeal.